Sound-producing device



.A. L. GRUBMAN SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE Filed Jan. l5, 1925 INVENTOR rzten [irumam4 d ,F

6J/1 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

, UNITED STATES ANTON L. GRUBMAN, OF BELLE HARBOR, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR '10 VOICES, INCOR- v PATENT OFFICE.

PORATEDQ, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

n soUND-rnonuoine DEVICE.

Application filed January 15, 1925, Serial No. 2,481. y

This invention relates to sound-producing devices, and more particularly to gravity automatic sound-producing devices of.

that type which are now generally used in connection with dolls or other toys, for vsimu'- lating a characteristic cry. f

More particularly, my present yimprovements relate to that class of such sound-producing devices wheiein there is provided a gravity movable member for expelling air under pressure from a chamber throughl a sounding reed and a valve for controlling the emission of the. sound produced, together with means on the air expelling member for intermittently actuating` said valve. Unlike the prior art devices, however, I propose to provide a sound emissioncontrol valve which is yieldingly held in a normal open position and is independent of the air expelling member, in that it is not mounted upon or carried by said member and coacting parts on said member and the valve for moving the latter towards a closed position atspaced intervals by the movement of said air expelling member..

It is a further object of my invention yto provide a sound-producing device or voice as above characterized, wherein the parts are so constructed and relatively arranged, that they will function in an eliicient and reliable manner to properly articulate the sound and eiect a very realistic simulation of the word syllables. Y M

It is also a further object of the invention to provide a sound-producing device wherein the air compressing and expelling means is arrangedy within a casing or housing and in which the air is expelled through a suitable reed into an external sound receiving.

chamber, said chamber having a sound egress opening in its wall and valve means controlling the egress of sound through said opening and having a part extending into said casing and ractuated by thezair expelling means.

With t-he above and other objects in'view, the invention consists in the improved soundproducing device and in the form, construction and relative arrangement of its several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing wherein I have illustrated one simple and practical embodiment of my l. r invention and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 1 1 or -Figure 3, illustrating one parts practical embodiment offtherdevice andl showing the weightymember in position-at the start of its air .expelling movement,

Figure 2 is a similar view showing an intermediate member,

Figure 31s an end elevation, and

position of said air expelling Figure t is a horizontal section taken on i vthe line 4% of Figure v1.y

Referring more particularlyato the drawing wherein I have illustrated an 'embodiment of the invention, which will give very satisfactory results iii practice, the casing or housing 5 may conveniently consist of a suitable length of rigid cardboard tubing to one end of which a closure plate 6.of any suitable form is applied. Within this casing there is enclosed an air receiving chamber. This chamber is preferably in the form vof a bellows having va flexible tubular, wall 7, gradually increasing in diameter` from one end to the other thereof and at its latter end -having the edge portion outwardly turned over and around the other end edge of the casing wall 5, as shown lat 8. Thel edge of a metal plate 9 is engaged upon'this Aout-turned edge 8 ofthe bellows wall and constitutes thelixedheadof the bellows'.

The other lend head of the bellows is movable within the casing 5 and consists' of a weighty metal disc 10 having a central opening 11 therein. rThe underside Aof this weighty member is recessed, as at 12, to re-` ceive the other end edge of the tubular bellows wall which is frictionally clamped against the walls of said recess by a disc 13 of fiber, or other suitable material inserted within the smaller end of said tubular wall. This disc likewise' is provided with an opening 14, of the same diameter concentrically related yto the opening 11. At the lower side of this opening 11,' in the member 10,'.avflexible washer member 15 is arranged, the member 10 having an annular rabbet 16 sui'- rounding said recess to receive the edge ot said washer. This tlexible washer may be readily stamped or cut out from heavy 'telt or other material and is provided with a central opening 17 therein ot relatively small diameter and in concentric relation with the openings 11 and 1l.

A sheetmetal member 1 8 is disposed est teriorly of the casing 5 at oneend thereot and provides a sound receiving chamber open upon one side, surrounded by the annular wall ot said member, said wall being formed upon its edge with an annular chan-v neled bead 19 receiving the edge ot the metal. plate 9 and constructed to tightly clamp the edge ot said plate and the end ot the tubular bellows wall 7 against the end of the casing wall 5.

'.lhe end wall 20 ot the chamber 18 which is spaced trom the plate a, is centrally formed with an inwardly pressed, concaveconvex or cupped section 21 having a central-sound egress opening 22 therein. The wall ot this cup 21 at the outer side thereo't is formed with an annular shoulder against which the end ot the metal disc 23 is tightly seated, said disc having a plurality ot openings 2li therein through which the sound is finally emitted fromrsaid cup.

The plate 9 carries a suitable sound producing device or i'eed, indicated at 25, through which the air is expelled trom the bellows chamber under the pressure ot'the weighty member 10. The wall 9 is centrally formed with an opening surrounded by an inwardly turned boss 26, which serves as a guide tor the stem or post 27 ot a suitable valve 28 operating` between the plate 9 and the egress opening 22 in the wall ot the cup,

21. The end oit the valve stem also projects through the latter opening and is surrounded by a coiled expansion spring 29 interposed between said valve and the central portion ot the metal disc 23. The valve stem or rod 27 also extends loosely through the opening 17 in the flexible washer 15,

The valve rod 27, which extends axially through the bellows chamber has longitudinally spaced lugs or piotuberances 3G lformed thereon at diametrically opposite points., the purpose ol' which will clearly appear from the Yfollowing description.

Normally, the spring 29 urges the valve 28 away from the Vopening 22 to an open position substantially in contact with thc ixed head or wall 9 ot the bellows, as seenin Figure 2 oli the drawings.

, Assuming that the bellows is fully expandedand the device then inverted so as to position the weighty head or member 10, as shown in Figure 1, said member will iininediately tend tol drop by gravity,=- thereby collapsing the bellows wall 7 and expelling the matinee air trom the bellows chamber. However, at

the start of this gravity air expelling movement of the member 10, the tlexible Washer 15 at opposite sides of the opening 17 thereon,engages the lirst pair of lugs 30 adjacent the end of the valve rod 27. The member 10, however, is sufficiently heavy to force the valve rod 27 and' valve member 28 downwardly against the action ot spring 29 when the washer thus engages the lugs 30, so that t-hevalve member is moved 4to a position adjacent the egressopening 22, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings and restricts the volume ot sound vwhich may pass from the sound receiving chamber formed by the member 18 through said egress opening. The member 10 will continue totall by gravity,

the washerv15 flexing relative tothe valve rod or stem so that thelirst pair of lugs 30 on said rod will pass through the central opening 17 in said washer. Obviously, however, these lugs apply a certain resistance to the gravity movement ofthe member 10 and check orl impede its descent. During this time, the soun-d which is emitted in restricted volume through the opening 22 and openings 24C will simulate the pronunciation of the letter m. Atter the lirst pair `ot lugs 30 have passed through the openings 17, the gravity descent of the member 10 is more rapid. Ot

course, the spring 29 immediately returns the valve 28 to its fully open position so that during the further descent ot the member 10, until. the 'flexible washer strikes the second pairot lugs 30 on the valve rod,.sound will be .emitted through the opening 22 and i,

openings 2li in greater volume and simulate the letter a, thus completing the articulation ot the first syllable ma. The weight of the member 10 being sustained by the lugs 30, the spring 29 is again compressed and valve 28 moved towards its closedfposition,

so that during the continued slow descent ot member 10, against the resistance offered by the ring 30, in passing thronghthe Vopening 17 oit the flexible washer, the reduced or restricted volume of sound emitted from the opening 22 and openings 2li again simulates lthe letter m and after the ilexibledisc 15 becomes 'free from the lugs 30 andv during the continued descent ot the member 10, to its linal position ofrest, sound is emittedin maximum volume to again simulate the letf ter a, thereby completing the articulation oi the second syllable ma, Ot course, it will be understood that the action above described, occurs in rapid succession, so; that the spoken pronunciation'ot1 the word mavma will be simulated ina very,v realistic manner.

Upon the inversion of the device from the position shown invligure 2, the weight-y member 1() moves in the opposite direction relative to the axially movable valve rod 27, so that the flexible bellows wall 7 is expandloo l ed and the bellows is reinflated; Preferably,

I provide the end cover or casing 6 With any air outlet opening 31 to avoid any cushioning effect upon the member l0 during the latter movement thereof. g

F rom the foregoing description, considered in connection'with the accompanying drawings, the constructiommanner of operation and the several advantages of the device, will be readily understood. It will be seen that the present improvements are primarily characterized by the fact that thev sound emission control valve is normally yieldingly held in an open'positionand is not mounted upon, or carried by the bellows head or gravity movable air expelling member, as has heretofore been the case. The means which I provide to effect the intermittent actuation of the valve also pei-mits of the valve movement being very accurately controlled, while at the same time, materially simplifying the construction of such actuating means as Well as the movable bellows head or air expelling member. The member 18 forming the independent sound receiving chamber, may be simply vproduced from sheet metal stamping and will not materially add to the manufacturing cost of such devices. While in the accompanying drawings I have illus-V trated the air expelling and compressing means in the form of a collapsible bellows, it will be apparent that in so far as the means for articulating thesound is concerned, various other equivalents of this air compressing and expelling means might be substituted. Further, the construction and arrangement of the control valve, as well as the actuating means therefor, might be produced in other alternative structural forms and itv will be accordingly understood that in the practical development of the invention I do not consider myself as necessarily restricted to the precise details of form and construction of the various elements as herein disclosed, but reserve the privilege of resorting to all suoli legitimate changes therein as may be fairly embodied Within the spirit and scope ofthe invention as claimed.

I claim Y l. In a sound producing device, an air receiving chamber and a sound receiving chamber, a sound producing reed, means for expelling air under pressure from said air receiving chamber through the reed and into the sound receiving chamber, a valve controlling the emission of sound from the latter chamber and having a rod extending through the air receiving chamber, and additional means carried by the air expelling means and cooperating with means on said valve rod to actuate the valve and articulate lthe emission of sound from said sound re-' ceiving chamber. 2. In a sound producing device, an air receiving chamber and a sound receiving chamber, a sound producingreed, means for expelling air under pressure from said air receivinO chamber through the reed and bei', a sound producing reed, a gravity movable member for expelling air from the air.

receivingl chamber through'said reed into the sound receiving chamber, the wall of the latter having an opening'y therein, a valve associated with said opening and means yieldingly holding said valve in a normal open position, said valve having spaced parts, and a flexible element carried by the air expelling member to engage said spaced parts at intervals during the movement thereof and move said valve towards its closed position to thereby effect an articulated emission of thel sound ythrough said opening.

1l. In a sound producing` device, a casing having an air chamber therein and a gravity movable member for expelling air under pressure from said chamber, aY sound receiv`v the wall of the latter chamber having an opening therein, a valve associated with saidY opening and having a rod extending 'through said air receiving chamber, a spring yieldingly sustaining the valve in a normal open position, and means' on said air expelling member adapted to releasably engage thev spaced means on vsaid valve rod to move said valve towards its closed position during the air expelling movement of vsaid member to thereby effect anl articulated emission of the sound. l

5. In a sound producing device, a casing having an internal air receiving chamber and an external sound receivingA chamber, said latter chamber having an opening in the wall thereof, a sound producing reed, a gravity movable member within said casing to expel air under pressure fi'om said air receiving chamber through the reed into said sound receiving chamber, a valve associated with said opening and having a rod extending through said air expelling member axial- .ly thereof, a spring yieldingly sustaining said valve in open position relative to the opening in the wall of said sound receiving chamrod loosely extends and longitudinally spaced means on said rod adapted for releasable enllgagement by said washer during the air eX- ipelling movement of said member to move 5l said valve towardsa closed position relative to said opening and thereby effect the articulated emission of the sound.

6. ln a sound producing device, a casing, a bellows within said casing including a tleixible tubular wall having a lined head at one end and a gravity movable head at its other end, a sound receiving chamber at one side of said fixed head ot' the bellows, a sound producing reed through which the air is expelled from the bellows by saidfgravity Inov-V able member vint-o said chamber, the wall of said chamberhaving an opening therein, a normally open valve associated with said opening and having a 'rod extending axially through the bellows and releasable eoacting means on said `gravity movable bellows head and the valve rod to move. said valve toV wards its closed position at spaced intervals in the collapse of the bellows and thereby effeet the articulatedemission of the sound. In testimony that vl claim the foregoing as my invention, l have signed my name hereto.`

ANTON L. GRUBMAN. 

